Early corn planting roundup

The weather's been great lately, enticing a lot of Corn Belt to start rolling out the planter. But, there are a lot of pitfalls to planting this early; there's a lot more time for the weather to revert back to winter, and there are new challenges with fighting insect pests and weeds.

Are you thinking of doing some planting soon? Or, have you already started? Or, do you consider it 'nuts' to get started this early in the season?

A warm weather pattern in large parts of the country will continue to support early planting prospects, though above-normal precipitation in the majority of the U.S. could cause farmers to tap the brakes a bit, according to new forecasts released Friday.

With all the talk of early planting lately, the idea of early fieldwork has almost taken a backseat. But, just as the wrong conditions later on in the spring could doom an early-planted crop, bad timing can rob your fertilizer and herbicide applications' efficacy, too.

If you plant corn now, you may be setting yourself up for some increased pest pressure later on in the growing season. And, the unseasonably warm weather isn't just enjoyable for you. The weeds that made it through the winter could strike your fields with a vengeance later in the year.